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The newest US release Transformers Masterpiece figure is Soundwave and like the last few is also Toys R Us exclusive. For some reason the box says MP-02 but the figure is clearly a variant of Takara MP-13. I know Masterpiece Acid Storm who comes in the same case is labeled MP-01 but this makes little sense considering MP-10 Optimus, and even MP-08 Grimlock were released at TRU not all that long ago along with other retailer exclusives like Wal-Mart Starscream.

The short of it is Masterpiece Soundwave is excellent. I was skeptical that this guy could even be done as a worthwhile Masterpiece figure but the end result has exceeded my expectations. As a bonus you not only get Soundwave but 5 of his cassette minions and some other neat accessories seen in the G1 transformers cartoon. Everything is solid in every configuration, certainly a must have if you are into this type of adult collectable. More pics and commentary below the cut.

Recently I upgraded my currently installed Synaptics touchpad driver to version 15.x, and found that I no longer had the middle-click effect by pressing both right and left click buttons.There were no options in the settings to enable that functionality within the touchpad manager. After a bit of research I found a simple solution that worked for me on all my Synaptic equipped systems.

Run the registry editor (regedit)

Go to key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Synaptics\SynTP\Defaults\

Here create a new key as a DWORD and name it as 'HasBothButtonFeature' without the quotes and set the value to 1.

Log off and Log on again

It worked fine for me on a few PC’s, reach out via my Contact Form if it doesn’t work for your application.

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I’ve previously covered the Windows 7 installation of XBMC here, and the install process of XBian on the Raspberry Pi here. This time I will be covering a method to install Raspbmc onto the Raspberry Pi for the purposes of creating a simple media center appliance. Raspbmc is just one of many pre-built 3rd party distributions of XBMC available.The three main XBMC variations that the community seems to prefer for the Raspberry Pi; XBian, Raspbmc, and OpenELEC.

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I started playing with the XBMC builds made specifically for the Raspberry Pi recently. The entire installation process is fairly simple. Be aware most of this software is beta so you should expect some issues now and then. Since the software is free you really cant complain.

I’ve previously covered the traditional Windows PC installation of XBMC here. There are three main XBMC variations that the community seems to prefer for the Raspberry Pi; XBian, Raspbmc, and OpenELEC. This time I will be covering a method to install XBian onto the Raspberry Pi for the purposes of creating a simple media center appliance. XBian is just one variation of many pre-built 3rd party distributions of XBMC available and I’ll be covering the other two main branches in later posts.

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After lucking out on my first stop (thank you to my local TF club for the tip) I got the Toys R Us exclusive Masterpiece Optimus Prime version 2 and its worth every penny. Basically this is the Takara MP-10 with some very minor color differences. The packaging is amazing showing nearly everything you could ask for here… you still need to open it to fully appreciate how far this line has evolved so lets get on with it. Continue reading MP-10 Masterpiece Optimus Prime V2 (Toys R Us Exclusive)→

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My last XBMC post mentioned the Cinema Experience add-on. This add-on is a bit of a hassle to get set up for the first time but the result is well worth it if you are into a true “theater” experience at home. For me the biggest pain in the butt was locating all the little video files needed to create the experience.

Several of my friends have started using XBMC as their sole entertainment hub at home after seeing my set up. The first of them I mentioned this add-on to wondered why anyone would want all that pre-movie stuff at home. He was surprised to hear that more than once I had been asked if it was possible and that it was a wanted option.

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One of the things XBMC has improved on in the last few versions are the add-ons. If you’ve read my earlier posts on the XBMC media center then you know how handy it can be to manage and deliver your media collection. With the right selection of add-ons you can make XBMC into whatever you would like it to be.

With the recent release of XBMC v12 Frodo much has improved, much has stayed the same, and a few things have been added to make XBMC more versatile. One of these things for me was Airplay support in Windows, previously only working for audio, now supports video. I mention the update because at this time a handful of add-ons aren’t working perfectly and may be the cause for a few minor headaches for some. On with the show…

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I’m writing this intending to come back later and add more information.

This website is currently being served by utilizing the WordPress content management system (CMS). That’s like Windows to Android to Apple. Alternative CMS such as Joomla, Drupal, and TikiWiki are similar to WordPress in the website delivery but each has its own unique advantages over the other that may matter to your specific needs. I had no specific needs aside from a single page blogroll and thought the WordPress platform would be quick and easy enough to set up and use.